With the lid down and retracted to the front, test tubes to be used, up to the maximum quantity available on the test tube handling device, are inserted into the test tube handling device with the sealing caps closed. The test tube handling device alignment features require that the tubes be inserted with the cap hinges to the back, the cap locking nubs to the front. With the tubes inserted the lid is moved to the back to the engaged first position into the caps to hold the nubs on all inserted test tubes simultaneously. The lid hinge is located on an axis coincident with the axis of rotation of the test tube caps allowing all tubes to be uncapped and held open simultaneously while maintaining the test tubes in the test tube handling device. When needed, all the test tubes are uncapped by raising the lid up, or re-capped and sealed by lowering the lid down with the lid in the engaged first position. The lid is retracted to the front to expose the capped test tubes. The test tube handling device provides access to the necks of the test tubes for marking or labeling as required on the individual test tubes. A lid operating bar is provided to reduce the effort required to lift the lid to uncap the test tube caps using lever action, with a feature to hold open the caps during filling or emptying of the tubes, and with lever action to reduce effort required when re-capping the test tubes. Interlock mechanisms consisting of a tab on either end of the lid and a truncated cylinder on the lid hinge interface with side brackets to ensure that the lid can only be raised after it has been engaged with the test tube cap nubs, and can only be retracted after it has been moved to the down orientation and all test tubes are capped. An extract lever is provided to remove the capped test tubes out of the test tube handling device, after the lid has been retracted, using a downward motion. A removable magnetic strip runs along the back of, and is in contact with, the test tubes should magnetic separation of the test samples be desired. All materials used in the construction of the Laboratory Test Tube Handling Device are capable of withstanding the temperatures of an autoclave when used for cleaning or sterilization.
These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the attached drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments which follow.